And From Here
by 09ergirl
Summary: And from here there's nothing more natural than to stop and think that the smaller things are the most true and tell who you are. Future-Fic
1. Keeping Harley 1

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Veronica Mars nor Harley Quinn from Batman...just Tracy and Harley.

**AN: **I had in mind this story for a long time but I didn't know how to start it. However, I've just started reading Nineteen Minutes by Jody Picoult (great book, READ IT) and saw in the character of Alex, Veronica. So this first part is pretty much the same to a chapter in the book. Enjoy

Prologue

**Simply having children does not make mothers. ~John A. Shedd**

Tracy Bickfield had met many pregnant business women while working as a midwife. However she never met someone as hectic as Veronica Mars.

"Do not believe everything you read on books. You're not all going to drop dead or have a hemorrhage. Yes that could happen, but not always!" Tracy observed the women in her class and noticed a petit woman, dressed in a black suit with her blond hair pulled into a high neat ponytail, holding her side and immediately worried; she watched the young girl pinch her side a few more times and as she was about to ask if everything was alright the blond pulled out a beeper that was attached to her black skirt and got up to her feet.

"I uhm...I'm sorry, I have to leave."

"Can't it wait a few mintues? We're about to go on a tour of the birthing pavilion" She handed Tracy the paperwork she'd been asked to fill out.

"I have more pressing matters." She said her goodbyes and hurried off. Tracy glanced at the information on the paperwork. _Veronica Mars, _she read. And then thought: _I'm gonna have to watch this one._

* * *

"So," Tracy started. "how did that pressing matter turn out?"

"We caught the bad guy." She answered crossing her arms.

"The bad guy?" Tracy asked curiously.

"Yeah, I'm a federal agent." She raised an eyebrow at Veronica's words.

"Really? That must a demanding job, does your boss know you're pregnant?"

"Yeah, but it's not an issue. I won't go on maternity leave, I'll just move from the field to the office when I'll get too big." She said as if it was nothing

"You might change your mind as-" Veronica interrupted her.

"I'm not keeping this baby." She announced.

"All right." Tracy sat back in her chair, it wasn't her place to judge this woman. "We can talk about different options then, like-"

"I was going to have an abortion." She said interrupting once again. "But I missed my appointment, thrice."

"Well then I can give you some information about adoption, if you haven't contacted any agencies yourself." She handed Veronica some pamphlets. "But for now lets focus on you...how are you doing."

"I'm great!" Veronica answered smoothly. "No pain, no morning sickness and I'm not tired." She looked at her watch. "However, I'm late for a meeting."

"You should try to slow down...rush and pregnancy don't get along."

"Thanks, but I can take care of myself." Tracy sighed.

"How about you let someone else do it once in a while?" Irritation spread all over Veronica's face.

"Look, I appreciate the concern but I'm fine. I don't need anyone nor these stupid therapy sessions. I've gone through worst things and-"

"Does the father agree with the decision of putting the baby up for adoption?" Lacy asked interrupting the blond. Veronica looked away and before Lacy could find something to gain her attention again, Veronica answered.

"There's no father, just me."

* * *

**Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone**

When Veronica first heard the baby's heartbeat she realized that maybe she could keep it, but it was when she felt the first kicks against her abdomen that she decided she was going to have this baby. Her little girl.

She never thought she was going to have kids. She hoped to die alone, no kids and no husband. But if she was going to have a child she wasn't going to give her some girly girl name like Amber or Tifanny, nor names like Brandy, Lola, Brooke, Honey, Daisy and especially Madison.

She knew her daughter's middle name would be Lilly or Lillith, even though Lilly's real name was Lillian...Lillith is way more bad ass. She expected to give her child a name like Lila, Sarah or Kristin or even Jane (as plain as it sounds), however two days after Baby Girl Mars was born, while watching a Batman cartoon, Veronica thought that her baby's blond hair and light coloured eyes resembled Harley Quinn's (and also Joker was quite similar to the baby's father); therefore she decided that her baby girl would be named Harley.

Harleen '**Harley**_**'**_ Lillith Quinn **Mars**.


	2. Saving Nick 2

**Prologue 2**

**There comes a time when a woman needs to stop thinking about her looks and focus her energies on raising her children. This time comes at the moment of conception. A child needs a role model, not a supermodel. ~Astrid Alauda, on the "hot mom" trend**

* * *

**Trina Echolls **wanted to be a star. She wanted to be famous and admired like her mom and dad. She wanted paparazzi to follow her and fans to ask autographs.

When your dad is Aaron Echolls it isn't hard to climb up the social latter and get a few parts in a movie or a TV show. However the paps weren't interested in her for her role in Michigan Dreaming or Please Stay, they followed her just because she was Aaron's daughter...and just to write things about her father. But with her brother it was different. They were always interested in him and the troubles he got into. They didn't want Aaron...they wanted Logan. Her melodramatic, stupid, arrogant, son of a bitch brother. He always wanted the attention, ever since they were children. And he always says that Aaron used to hit him, but Trina knows it's not true. A part of her remembers very well the scars on Logan's back, or her mom drowning herself in vodka and pills; but she can't believe Logan...she can't remember her dad, the one person who believed in her, as an abusive murderer. It's all bullshit.

At the age of 24 and a ½ , while filming a movie called Revenge Tastes Sour, Trina started a relationship with Freddie Walford. Her co-star. Her boyfriend.

There were times when Freddie would drink, a lot of times. He would come home to the attic they shared in Manhattan, thrash everything and hit Trina like there was no tomorrow. But she couldn't break-up with Freddie. She was broke and he was rich, and the paps followed her...Everywhere.

When she found out she was pregnant Freddie stopped drinking. In 2009 Trina gave birth to Nicholas 'Nick' Aaron Frederick Walford. Three weeks after he was born Freddie started hitting her again. Nothing had changed. He would hit her when the baby cried or puked or did anything other than breathing. She didn't love baby Nick anymore ...she despised him more than Freddie. She spent more time buying jewelerry for herself, along with clothes, make-up and new boobs than she spent on trying to be a good mom. Her appeareance was more way more important than that crying mother fucker. He was just a waste of time (and pain).

* * *

**In bringing up children, spend on them half as much money and twice as much time. ~Author Unknown**

Trina and Freddie were rarely home to be with Nick. But if you asked him, he'd tell you he was lucky when he's parents left. Not because they showered him in gifts and expensive clothes, but because they weren't parents. At all.

His dad wasn't a good dad, he didn't kiss his forehead and build trains with him. Instead he hit him. All the time. Because he sneezed, because he picked his nose, because he got food all over himself, because he couldn't tie his shoes, because he didn't write properly, because he couldn't remember who there was between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, because he couldn't read long words, because he simply existed.

His mom wasn't any better, she didn't dry his tears, kiss him goodnight or make him cookies. She just stood on the sidelines watching his dad beat him so much that he broke his leg. One, two, three times. She would always tell him: "It's your fault", "You're a screw up", "Why did I have kid like you" and "You were a mistake...I should've just had an abortion, 'cause you're not worth the trouble."There was a person who always treated him like a human being. His uncle, Logan. Logan played with him. He taught him to ride a bike, to read long words, tie his shoes and told him that Lyndon B. Johnson was between JFK and Nixon. Unfortunately he only saw his uncle in summer. When Nick was 7 his father broke both his legs, uncle Logan had come to visit them and had rushed to the hospital as soon as he heard from the maid that Nick was there. Trina told Logan that Nick had fell off a climbing wall at the park. Logan didn't buy it. That was the last day Nick ever saw his parents.


	3. Sharing Alessio 3

_Sharing Alessio_

**Prologue 3**

**The past is our definition. We may strive, with good reason, to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it, but we will escape it only by adding something better to it. ~Wendell Berry  
**

**Francesca Fioretti*** was an Italian model/aspiring actress/TV personality who **Logan Echolls **had met during his visit to Italy in 2009. He had been to a dinner where some of Italy's most influential people like Lapo Elkann, Beatrice Borromeo, Fabrizio Corona, Belen Rodriguez, Simona Ventura, Elenoire Casalegno, Luca Argentero and Elena Santarelli were. Francesca was there as well, just at another table.

Fabrizio Corona, an italian ex paparazzo and scandalous media personality with whom Logan immediately got along, introduced him to Francesca. She was gorgeous, with the typical Mediterranean curvy body. She had long brown hair and dark eyes, sultry lips and a great body.

Logan found himself attracted by this goddess, he loved every aspect of her...even the terrible english and thick accent. Maybe what made her even more attractive was her non resemblance to any of Logan's ex girlfriends. He always went for blondes who had light colored eyes and pale skin. Francesca was completely different.

They kept a long distance relationship for about a year, he would go visit her almost every to weeks unless he was filming and she would go visit him every time she didn't have TV appearances. In summer he spent two months in Italy with her and with her family. In August they left for the US and this time Francesca didn't go back to Italy. She stayed with Logan.

Their relationship was wonderful, of course they fought a lot. She, being Italian, had a completely different way of seeing things. He liked spending every single minute he had, she on the other loved 'il dolce far niente'*. Or she didn't like going out to have sushi or chinese food. She liked having dinner at home, she liked spending hours doing Polenta in winter. And she hated brunches. To her breakfast was: cappuccino and cornetto*; then around 1 pm it was lunch time. And at 8 pm dinner. It was impossible for her to accept combining breakfast and lunch together and having dinner at 5 or pm. "Roba da matti"* she would say.

She was also very passionate. He loved fighting with her. He would pick up a fight just to hear her curse in Italian. "Stronzo", "Pezzo di merda", "Vaffanculo", "Fottiti", "Và a morì ammazzato, coglione."*. He loved the way she moved her arms around even more than the usual. He felt the urge to push her against the wall and kiss her.

They were always on the covers of magazines...even Italian ones. He kept making movies that were box office hits, Francesca kept working as a model becoming one of the Victoria's Secret Angels.

He really loved Francesca. But sometimes, while she's sleeping next to him, he can't help but think about that petite blond that had been part of his life not so long ago. They way she just disappeared after their Freshmen year at Hearst. None of her friends heard from her or knew where she was. Not even her father. That's why he was so surprised when he saw her in February 2011 walking around LA.

He called her name. Twice. And she didn't turn around. A part of Logan hoped he was wrong, hoped that she wasn't Ronnie. However when he yelled out once more the small figure stopped and turned around.

He doesn't remember how he was able to convince her to have dinner with him. Or if they had one too many glasses of Prosecco, because the only thing he remembered was waking up, naked, with her snuggled up in his arms in a rundown motel room. He wanted to wait for her to wake-up. Offer her breakfast. Beg her to get back with him. But then he thought about Francesca, and the paparazzi. Why would he destroy everything that was good in his life to be treated like shit from Veronica? He had a gorgeous woman who loved him waiting at home. He didn't need her. Not anymore. He went on in life and realized that he could be happy even without her.

So he got up, put his clothes back on and left the room. He paid the room and gave the guy a few thousands to have him shut up about the whole situation. And with that he left without feeling a sense of remorse. He had a taxi leave him in the city. He walked inside Tiffany and bought the prettiest engagement ring they had. When he got back home he proposed to the woman he loved.

* * *

**A house is not a home when there's no one there to hold you tight.****~ Luther Vandross, ****A House is not a Home**

Logan (and Francesca) loved spending time with his nephew Nick. He could see so much of himself in that not so perfect little boy. The vivacity, the fights in school, the attitude.

Also he loved his sister's apartment, there was something about that reminded him of his mother.

It took him seven years to realize why it reminded him of his mom. It was the the fact that it didn't really inspire him the word 'famiglia', like his own childhood house. It was cold and it looked ike Nick probably lived there alone. So when the maid told him Nick was in hospital, Logan got there as quick as he could. Everything clicked back together. Nick was a vicim of abuse, just like he was. He cursed himself for not realizing before. He didn't believe the excuses Trina was pulling out. He promised he wouldn't press charges against her if she left Nick's life. Immediately. And never came back. However he made sure that son of a bitch named Freddie Walford disappeared from the face of the earth.

* * *

**The guys who fear becoming fathers don't understand that fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man. The end product of child raising is not the child but the parent. ~Frank Pittman,_ Man Enough_**

9 months. 40 weeks. 274 days. 58,320 hours. 394,200 minutes. 23652000 _seconds. Give or take a few days, hours, minutes and seconds. _

That was gonna be in how long Logan Echolls would become a father. A real dad, not an uncle who plays house with his nephew. This child would be his and Francesca's...his wife. And that scared the shit out of him. He was great with Nick, but would he be as good with his own child?

Francesca kept assuring him that he would be 'un papà perfetto'. He remembered her saying.

"Amore, you have so much love to give. Do you look at yourself when you are with Nick? You are great. You love him and you will love the bambino I'm carrying. I know, I have a feeling about it. This child will be loved from his first day to his last." He took Logan's hand and placed to her still flat tummy. "Ti amo. And I know you can do it."

His fears kind of washed away the first time he held in his arms his son, Alessio Filippo Echolls.

But he realized he could be a dad a week after they took him home. He was crying and Logan got up instead of Francesca, he walked in the nursery and took the baby boy in his arms. Alessio looked at him in amazement and slowly stopped crying. Francesca slipped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Vedi ti ama anche lui."*

* * *

_**Your children need your presence more than your presents. ~Jesse Jackson**_

He isn't sure of when everything between he and Francesca went at 'puttane'*. One moment they were happy and for several moments later they despised each other. Francesca said she hated the fact that he worked so much. That he missed her and Alessio's birthday. That he took Nick to live with them but wasn't dedicating him much time either.

Alessio was 5 and a ½ when they divorced. 4 months later Francesca wanted to move back to Italy.

_"What? You're just going to leave America?" __Logan asked in anger. __"You can't take my son away like this."_

_"Really? We haven't been living with you for what? 7 months? And how many times have you seen your son, huh? 7 or 8?" Francesca slammed her glass on the table. " You didn't even come over for Christmas, you just sent an entire toy shop over at our house-" _

_"I couldn't come over...I thought he liked his presents." _

_"Of course he did. He's 5 per l'amor del cielo*. But you know what he kept asking me? Huh, you know? He asked me ____where's papà__. All day long. So now he's happy cause you give him toys, but what about when he grows up and he realizes that you never have time for him, huh?"_

_"So that gives you the right to take him to Italy? How's that gonna solve anything?"_

_"No it gives me the right to give him a real family. You're rich and you have your own cazzo di aereo* when you want to see your son, you can come to Italy. You made your bed, now lie in it."_

_

* * *

_

**A child, like your stomach, doesn't need all you can afford to give it. ~Frank A. Clark**

He rarely flew to Italy, just for his son's birthday and for Christmas. He sent him toys and money. However his heart would break every time Alessio would ask him on Skype when was he going to come back. Or when he would visit his son and Alessio would cry when he hurt himself and push Logan away saying: "Voglio la mia mamma*, not you don't know how to make it stop hurting!" He realized he's become like every other famous dad on earth. He was an absent parent who replace love with toy and money, and he needed to change that. Because the little boy infront of him didn't want toys as much as he wanted a daddy. He was going to ask for a joint custody. Alessio would spend six months in the US and six in Italy.

* * *

_*_Francesca Fioretti does really exist. If you want to have an idea of what she looks like either type in her name on google or click here: _**club . doctissimo . fr/pericolosa/celebrita-15638/photo/francesca_fioretti-7974020 . html**_ and _**www . mondoreality . com /francesca-fioretti-concorrente-grande-fratello-9-foto-video/**_(Take off spaces)

*_Dolce far niente_-Sweet doing nothing. There isn't an actual english way of saying...it's the beauty of doing nothing. The beauty of having breakfast in a piazza on Sunday's, of having lunch with your friends, of spending time with your family.

*_Cornetto_-Croissant.

*_Roba da matti._ Crazy Stuff.

*___Stronzo__-_Asshole_, ____Pezzo di merda__-_Piece of shit (in English it sounds very offensive...in Italian it isn't, it's more like jerk.) ___Vaffanculo-_ Fuck you, ___Fottiti__-_Fuck yourself, ___Và a morì ammazzato__ (Vai a morire ammazzato)- _Literally it means 'Go die getting killed,', it's used like Fuck you...it just isn't considered swearing. ___Coglione__- _Literally it means testicle. Used like 'Dickhead, Asshole, Jackass.'

*_Vedi ti ama anche lui._-See, he loves you too.

_*Puttane-_Literally means Sluts. In this case it means Everything went to hell.

*_Per l'amor del cielo_-Lit. For the love of the sky...For the love of God.

*_Cazzo si aereo_- Fucking airplane

_*Voglio la mia mamma- _I want my mom.


	4. The Welcome Wagon

It wasn't that **Harley Mars** didn't feel loved, it was just that her mom loved her job more and at times it seemed to her she didn't even make an effort to hide it.

Recently Veronica had been offered a position inside the FBI that would make her travel the world and without putting much thought in it she shipped Harley off to Neptune to live with Grandpa Keith. Although she put on a broody face, Harley was happy to spend time with someone who gave her attention. Someone who actually cared about how school went, or about what Harley felt like having for dinner, or if she had a crush on some boy. Someone like her grandpa.

"So, Harls, I enrolled you at Neptune High. You'll start next week." Grandpa Keith told her while they ate Lasagna. "Now, I know it's probably not the latest fashion or 'cool' but I still have your mom's old LeBaron. A friend of mine has fixed it up so if you want you can use that while you're here." Harley smiled at him.

"Thanks grandpa...the LeBaron will be more than fine." She hugged her grandfather.

"And if you want on some afternoons you can come work at the office, I would pay you so you could have money for the movies or whatever your kids do these days."

"Well I think I'll pass, I don't really have the spy gene in me, but thanks for the offer." Keith laughed softly.

"That's fine sweetheart, I'm actually relieved that you're not a future spy. So what do you like doing?"

"I like sports. I used to play soccer back home, I also did theater."

"Theater? What did your mom think of that?" Keith asked smiling.

"She wasn't so happy but you know better than me that she doesn't really care about what I do."

* * *

**Nick Walford** knew girls loved him. They loved the way he would speed in the parking lot with his yellow Ferrari, they loved the fact he smoked, they that he always got detention for being rude to professors, they loved the fact he was rich and famous, they loved the fact he was year behind in school and they loved the way he used them and never called them again.

However, there were always exceptions.

As Nick was driving his car towards _his _parking spot (everyone in school knew that was _his spot_) an old looking LeBaron cut off his way and stole the spot. He stopped the car and walked towards the driver who had the courage to disrespect him.

"Hey! That's my spot!" He yelled towards the car walking to the driver's side. A blond girl with aviator sunglasses turned to look at him. She pulled her sunglasses to the top of her head showing a pair of magnifying blue eyes and an arched eyebrow.

"Really? Can't really read the sign 'reserved' anywhere." She said with a hint of cockiness. She turned off the engine and jumped out of the car almost stepping on Nick's feet.

"Do you have any idea of who I am?" He asked crossing his arms. She looked at him up and down and turned around to grab her school bag and pull the hood over her car. As she bent Nick couldn't help but notice how hot her body was even though she was as tall as a fifth grader. "I asked you a question."

She turned around to face him. "Oh, right. Well no, I have no idea of who you are...and I must say I don't care." She made sure her car was locked and walked off yelling a 'See ya!'.

Nick watched her leave. She carried herself with much confidence and seemed like a really tough chick. She had on tight black leather pants that hugged her curvacious hips and backside, the low waist of her pants showed part of a tattoo, a black band t-shirt and black ballet shoes. Her hair was long, blond and unruly. There was something about her that drove him crazy.

* * *

During her English class Harley made friends with a girl named Laurie Wellington. She was funny with brown hair even more unruly than Harley's. At lunch Laurie offered her to sit with her and her friends. Franny, Sarah, Georgina, Cara, Lawrence, Dave, Bobbie and Lenny.

Georgina and Lawrence were twins, Bobbie was Franny's very very good looking cousin, Sarah and Lawrence were a couple, so were Georgina and Lenny, Franny and Dave.

"Ok, let me explain to you how Neptune works. Cliques are divided by where you live, those over there," Georgina pointed to a group of Mexican bikers. "are the PCHers, they live close to the PCH bridge. They're pushers and bikers, you don't wanna mess with them." Georgina nodded towards a guy full of tattoos. "That's their leader, Thiago Navarro."

"Those other ones," continued Lenny, pointing to a table full of kids laughing where Harley could see the asshole she met that morning. "are the 09ers, they're from the rich part of town. They think they're the shits and are complete snobs. That shithead over there is their leader Nick Walford and the girl next to him is Rachel Hughes, his girlfriend." Harley identified Nick Walford as the famous jackass. Nick turned around and his eyes met hers. The stared at each other for a few minutes before Harley turned back to look at Lenny.

"Sarah and Laurie live in the 08 district, which is only a little less up market than the 09ers'. Bobbie, Franny and Lawrence live downtown, while as Cara, Dave, Lenny and I live in the 02 district." Continued Georgina.

"Where do you live?" Asked Franny.

"Sunset Cliffs, I think it's in the 02 district."

"Ooh! That's pretty much down the road from my house! It's also close to Lenny's and Gigi's apartment." Cara told Harley. "We can all hang out together!"

* * *

In the past six hours Nick Walford tried to find out all he could about the girl in the LeBaron. So far he'd found out that her name was Harley Mars, she was from Washington and was living with her grandfather, Keith Mars.

Most kids were talking about the scene between her and Nick, she was being idolized by most of the losers in school. They looked at him as if he wasn't so 'invincible' anymore.

He observed her when she walked into the lunch quad, as she sat with Lenny, Gigi and all those other weird freaks, he noticed her blue eyes staring at him. After a few seconds (that seemed like an eternity) Harley raised both eyebrows and gave Nick a 'you're such a loser' kind of look.

In that moment he decided he was going to give Miss Harley Mars a real _Neptune welcome_.


End file.
